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UniRoos Ready to Rumble at FISU World University Games

Australian Athletics

Olympians and World Under 20 champions will lead the nation’s charge at the FISU World University Games beginning in Germany on Monday, with Australia assembling a star-studded cast capable of rocking the world’s best student-athletes.

The team of 66 is a roll call of emerging names from two-time Olympic race walker Rebecca Henderson to world Under 20 champions, and New South Wales Insitute of Sport (NSWIS) duo, Delta Amidzovski and Isaac Beacroft; just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a crop whose prime will fall sweetly around the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.

The 2025 FISU World University Games will be hosted in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany from July 21-27, with Australian viewers able to tune in via FISU.TV. The full timetable for Athletics can be found HERE.

Sprints

*NSWIS athlete **Kristie Edwards**, in action at the Paris Olympic Games, will compete in the 200m event.*

Two of the breakout athletes of the Summer Series will feature in the Women’s 200m as national champion Jessica Milat (VIC, Cathy Woodruff, Deakin University) and Olympian Kristie Edwards (NSWIS, Andrew Murphy, Charles Sturt University) spearhead the sprinting action in Germany.

The pair claimed gold and silver respectively at the 2025 Australian Athletics Championships with personal bests of 22.75 and 22.81, now looming as genuine medal contenders with global experience under their belt, accompanied by the 400m duo of Terrell Throne (QLD, Christopher Dale, Queensland University of Technology) and Thomas Reynolds (VIC, Matthew Oakley, La Trobe University).

With a personal best of 45.54-seconds at 18-years-old, Thorne’s rise has already seen him claim silver at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in the Mixed 4x400m Relay, while Reynolds is just as dangerous as a 45.56-second man at 20-years-old.

The 100m action will be led by Georgia Harris (QLD, Paul Pearce, Griffith University) and Connor Bond (NSW, Mick Zisti, Macquarie University), while former Australian Under 20 record holder Aidan Murphy (SA, Nik Hagicostas, University of Adelaide) also lines up over 200m.

Jumps

Paris Games finalist Connor Murphy, a NSWIS athlete, will aim to replicate his Olympic form in the triple jump

Few 18-year-olds are rolling around the global circuit with better credentials than NSWIS scholarship holder Delta Amidzovski (NSW, Becky Amidzovski, University of Wollongong), who snatched the World Under 20 long jump title and bronze in the 100m hurdles in Lima last year.

The teenager who owns personal bests of 6.58m in the long jump and 13.22-seconds in the hurdles will be joined by World Championships representative Samantha Dale (NSWIS, Andrew Murphy, ACPE) on the runway – recently bouncing back to form with a 6.48m seasons best.

Olympic finalist Connor Murphy (NSWIS, Andrew Murphy, Sydney University) will look to muster an effort near his 16.82m best in the triple jump as he fights to step up to the medals having finished in fourth place at the 2023 FISU World University Games in Chengdu, China.

Rising pole vaulter Tryphena Hewett (SA, Kym Simons, University of South Australia) soared to World Under 20 bronze last year and has since progressed to a 4.25m personal best, while Roman Anastasios (VIC, Sandro Bisetto, University of Melbourne) will take flight in the high jump with a 2.25m clearance to his name.

Roads

Allannah Pitcher will compete as a Uniroo in the 20km walk

No event group on this team has more experience than the race walkers, headed by Olympians Rebecca Henderson (VIC, Simon Baker, University of Melbourne) and Olivia Sandery (SA, Jared Tallent, Flinders University) who sit third and fifth respectively on the Australian 20km race walk all-time list. With a host of talent including World Under 20 champion Isaac Beacroft (NSWIS David Beacroft, Australian Catholic University) Elizabeth McMillen (NSW, Jared Tallent, Griffith University) and NSWIS’s Allannah Pitcher (NSW, Frank Overton, Sydney University) poised to join them, the Australian men and women will be primed for both team and individual success on the roads of Rhine-Ruhr.

A further six Australians will hit the road for the half marathon, with five men led by Tom Bowers (VIC, David Lightfoot, Monash University) at 1:04:40, while Bianca Puglisi (VIC, Frances Lipscombe, Victoria University) is the sole representative for the women.

Throws

NSWIS Scholarship athlete Lianna Davidson has a wealth of NCAA experience, heading into the University Games

Australia’s throws contingent is dominated by NCAA athletes with a wealth of experience, including NSWIS’s Georgia-based duo of Lianna Davidson (NSW, Angus McEntyre) and Alexander Kolesnikoff (NSW, Don Babbitt), along with emerging hammer thrower Lara Roberts (QLD, John Frazier, Texas State University).

Roberts climbed to third on the Australian all-time list with her 70.97m effort earlier this year to land herself as a contender, while Davidson is ranked seventh all-time for Australians in the javelin after her 63.79m throw in March. World Under 20 representatives Mia Gordon (QLD, Ben Thomson, Curtin University) and Etienne Rousseau (WA, Didier Poper, University of Western Australia) will add to the action in the javelin and discus respectively.

Multi Events

Fielding four athletes across the heptathlon and decathlon, Australia will be well represented in the multi events in Germany. Emelia Surch (QLD, Glynis Nunn, Griffith University) has piled over 350 points onto her heptathlon best in 2025 which now stands at 5975 points, leaving her within reach of the eclipsing the 6000-point barrier for the first time – a mark that has made the podium at the last four instalments of the FISU World University Games.

World Under 20 representative Mia Scerri (VIC, Ralph Newton, Monash University) will join Surch in the heptathlon, while Australian champion Benjamin Guse (QLD, Annette Rice, Southern Cross University) and Sebastian Reyneke (VIC, Steve Cain, RMIT) will take on the decathlon.

Hurdles

A small but strong group of hurdlers includes decathlete Colby Eddowes (ACT, Matt Vining, Arkansas State University) who has quietly dropped his 110m hurdles best to 13.45-seconds this year to sit fourth on the Australian all-time list. World Under 20 bronze medallist Amidzovski will return for the 100m hurdles after the long jump, while Thomas Hunt (NSW, Ben Liddy, Western Sydney University) will let loose in the 400m hurdles having dipped under 50-seconds for the first time this year with his 49.88-second showing at the Sydney Track Classic – progressing to win the Australian title.

Middle-Distance

A relatively new-look middle-distance crop will be guided 2024 Australian 800m champion Luke Boyes (NSWIS, Ben St Lawrence, University of Technology Sydney) and World Under 20 finalist Hayley Kitching (NSWIS, Tim Kitching, Penn State University) over 800m.

The 1500m duo of Max Shervington (WA, Matt Ramsden, University of Western Australia) and Adam Goddard (SA, Riley Cocks, Deakin University) loom as two men ready to tackle the rounds of a global championship, both entering in career-best shape, while Klara Dess (VIC, Daren Gauson, The Australian National University) will contest the 1500m and 5000m double in white-hot form.

Among the Uniroos Athletics squad are NSWIS scholarship holders: Delta Amidzovski (Long Jump & 100m Hurdles), Isaac Beacroft (20km Walk), Luke Boyes (800m), Sam Dale (Long Jump), Lianna Davidson (Javelin), Kristie Edwards (200m), Chris Ius (200m), Hayley Kitching (800m), Alex Kolesnikoff (Shot Put), Connor Murphy (Triple Jump), Desleigh Owusu (Triple Jump), Allanah Pitcher (20km Walk), Erin Shaw (High Jump).